Matthew 25:14-24a, 25-26a, 28-29 14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 24a "Then the man who had received the one talent came… 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26a "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! 28'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
Mark 4:24 "Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.
We know that life comes by getting and by giving. The problem is that we tend to get stuck in one part of the cycle. Some of us get stuck in the giving cycle and give of ourselves to the point of exhaustion, burnout, and irritability. This kind of giving is not rooted in the spirit of God. Or we may get stuck in the getting cycle. It is difficult to resist the pressure of the subtle messages that say “getting and having will make you happy.”
Jesus gives a promise and a reminder. When we give we also receive. He is not just talking about money but about life. As we give love, we receive love, as we share our life with others we receive the gift of belonging and community. We conquer greed, which feels like fear and acts like worry. We receive a spirit of generosity and of the giftedness of life.
But there is also a warning in scripture that when we withhold we lose. If we have the gift of music and do not practice, we lose it. If we learn a new language and do not use it, we forget it. If we do not use a muscle, atrophy sets in. We lose generosity. And we lose that sense of the giftedness of life.
Jesus is talking about truth learned in action, not a truth that will simply one day be learned in the heart. We gain by doing. We become by doing. We become patient by being patient. We become kind by being kind. We become generous by being generous.
Get and you will be happy. Give and it shall be given to you. Which message do we really hear and act on?
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope November 3, 1996
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